Smith+NephewSmith+Nephew (NYSE:SNN) today touted its Oxinium technology as the best performing bearing with the lowest revision risk in total hip arthroplasty.

London Based S+N shared results substantiated by four national and regional joint registries over the last 20 years, covering more than 2 million procedures from which to draw, according to a news release.

The company designed its proprietary Oxinium (oxidized zirconium) through a manufacturing process that sees the zirconium alloy material transform and harden through oxidation, making Oxinium into a ceramicized metal rather than an applied coating.

Oxinium proves to deliver the lowest risk of revision at 10 years for total hip arthroplasty, while implants powered by Oxinium in total knee arthroplasty perform at A/A* levels according to ODEP at up to 15 years. S+N said the platform represents a step-change from implant technology by combining the durability of metal, the wear and biocompatibility of ceramic and corrosion resistance.

Additionally, the platform contains virtually undetectable levels of nickel, cobalt and chromium while displaying a lower pro-inflammatory cytokine expression compared to cobalt-chrome in vitro.

“Oxinium addresses multiple risks…the first being longevity. Patients don’t want to get re-operated on and the idea that Oxinium implants can last longer and has better wear properties is important,” Hospital for Special Surgery chief of knee service Dr. Steven B. Haas said in the release. “The second big one is that it has virtually no nickel and is biocompatible because patients are concerned about this.”